Going to School Again

Elango Ramachandran works with the Karnataka Network for positive people

As a result of the management programme, supported by UNDP, many people living with HIV (PLHIV) have become proud management graduated and acquired skills in organization development, project management and decision making.

People living with HIV become Proud Management Graduates

Elango was one of the 93 people living with HIV who graduated with a certificate course on Leadership and Managerial Proficiency (LAMP) from the Xavier Institute of Management Bhubaneswar (XIMB) in 2007.

Highlights

Management programme has helped people living with HIV to acquire managerial skills

Internship opportunities provided in 31 government, non-governmental and international organizations

84 percent of graduates believed that they had gained substantive skills and knowledge from the course

Elango Ramachandran works with Karnataka Network for Positive PeopleThe management programme, which was supported by UNDP, helped Indian people living with HIV to acquire management skills. Some were activists, and members of networks of people living with HIV, and others just embarked on the journey. “It is altogether a new experience which will help to manage our initiatives better,” says Daisy David, another participant and coordinator from INP+ from Tamil Nadu.

The course comprised of four weeks of classroom, and two weeks of field learning. During the latter, the graduates got internship placements with 31 Government, non-governmental and international organizations. The course curriculum ranged from organization development, project management, to decision making. It was specially designed after consultations with people living with HIV and organizations working in HIV.

After the course, many of the graduates feel that they can handle greater responsibilities in their work. The evaluation of the course reveals that 84 percent of the graduates felt that they had gained substantive skills and knowledge from the course. For Rajendra Shirke, for example, who is another graduate of the course, the programme was more than an academic training. “This course has helped me to learn how to manage work and life better. I now know that I‘m capable of achieving more, if I just try. Now that I’ve done a management degree, I want to learn more. I am now doing a Masters in Social Work”.

The course was a learning experience for the management institute too. “This initiative has enhanced our sensitivity towards HIV,” says Dr. S. Peppin, who was in charge of the course. XIMB has now introduced a module on HIV in their management courses, and also started a “Positive Speakers Bureau” where people living with HIV share their experiences with the management students. Ever since the course finished, different organizations have even shown interest to conduct a similar course.

Publications

From the Frontline of Community Action: A Compendium of Six Successful Community Based HIV Interventions That Have Worked for MSM- TG-Hijras in India

The report critically assesses six community-based organizations working with men-who-have-sex-with-men and transgenders from different parts of the country. It details key interventions implemented by them, partnerships with other community members, lessons learnt and replicable models for further interventions

Social Protection that Works for PLHIV - A Compendium of Case Studies from 8 States

The report with the National AIDS Control Organisation documents the experiences of PLHIVs in accessing social protection schemes and outlines challenges faced in accessing benefits and successful approaches to overcoming these hurdles.